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For anyone with a fair amount of clothes, or for couples who share a closet, hanging everything on a single rod is the least efficient use of the space, and makes it incredibly difficult to organize. Dividing your closet into sections for each person or each type of clothing or accessory can help you utilize as much of the area as possible while also making it easier to find what you need every morning.

Planning

1

Remove everything from your closet and sort the contents the way you envision your closet being divided. After separating everything by owner, you can group work and casual clothes, or go further and separate pants, dresses, button-down shirts, ties, etc. Try to do this right after you’ve finished doing laundry to ensure you’re taking all of your clothes and accessories into account.

2

Determine how much storage space each group of items will need. Decide what you plan to have hanging, and place these items on an existing rod; measure how much space they take up. When factoring in how much shelving you need for folded clothes, stack these as you would in a closet and measure it as well. In your final design, leave some room for expansion of your wardrobe if possible; you don’t want to have to rearrange everything for one new sweater!

3

Measure your closet’s width, depth and height, and create a scaled drawing on graph paper. Then, outline your closet design to determine exactly how much shelving, rods and other organizational pieces you’ll need. Use the entire closet to maximize the space: You can have several vertical rows in one space to handle pants and shirts, and one rod without anything below it to keep room for any long dresses. You can also utilize your closet door, installing hooks on the back to hold purses, belts, scarves or other items. If you don’t have a lot of floor space, you can also install a shoe rack on the back of the door to keep the bottom of the closet free for storage.

4

Purchase a closet organization system or closet shelving and rods that fit your needs, as well as any necessary hardware to install the pieces. If you plan to store out-of-season clothes in your closet, purchasing coordinating storage boxes that will fit on the shelves can keep everything in one place and give your closet a cohesive, organized look.

Dividing the Closet

1

Remove any existing shelving or rods if you don’t plan to reuse them, or if you need to adjust their location to fit the rest of the closet organization products.

2

Paint the closet walls. Since it’s already empty, this is the perfect opportunity to apply a fresh coat of paint. If you choose to paint, let it dry before installing anything.

3

Install the shelving and closet rods according to the manufacturer directions for the products. Hang or place everything where it should go.

Things You Will Need

Measuring tape

Pencil

Graph paper

Closet organization system (optional)

Closet shelving and rods with mounting hardware (optional)

Paint and supplies (optional)

Drill with various bits

Wall anchors

Hammer

Tip

If you need to install rods or shelving on walls that do not have a stud, it is important to use wall anchors for each screw. To do this, hold the bracket to the desired location and mark the screw holes with a pencil. Remove the bracket, drill a pilot hole into each mark, and tap a wall anchor that fits the screw for the rod or shelving into each hole.

About the Author

Amanda Bell spent six years working as an interior designer and project coordinator before becoming a professional writer in 2010. She has published thousands of articles for various websites and clients, specializing in home renovation, DIY projects, gardening and travel. Bell studied English composition and literature at the University of Boston and the University of Maryland.